Edunomics : Economics made fun

Two high school students, Sahith Malyala and Sahil Yedulla, found a club named Edunomics, last year when they started studying Economics in their high school.

They decided to visit their middle school again and teach the younger students, once a week, to the interested kids the basic of Economics, a science which both of them enjoys so much and wanted others to have an access to its wonderful world as well.

The idea took a form of a solid reality when in the words, of Sahil, the co-founder of the club got a text from now another of the co-founder, Sahith, if they both can found a new Economics club. According to Sahith, he conceived this idea because according to him there are not as many as Economics related organizations out there, as there should be.

The next step was implemented when the neighbors and childhood friends of the two boys, took and shared their idea with David Stephenson, a Keyboard and Business skills teacher at Farwell Station Middle School.

Stephenson, who now acts as the supervisor for Educonomics, says that: “I have never had students come back and say this is what I really wanna do. I thought it was a fantastic idea”.

They found out that simplifying Global Economics, Finance and Business by them fun and interactive for the students is the key to get students more involved and interested in the field.

Each week, there is first a 5-10 minutes lecture which is held on a new topic and to make the students really get the core of it all, they play an interactive game on it.

Sahith cited that these games illustrated to the kids the real world applicability of the things they teach them.

While Stevenson says that Edunomics has been profitable for both the older students which help them to become better and stronger leaders in their lives as well as for the younger ones who are actually more receptive when high schoolers teach them.

Though both the co-founders of the club, Sahil and Sahith and leaving for their colleges, the coming year, David assured that the club will continue to give other students the opportunity to teach and learn. (Input from agencies)

Good grades and proper schooling may help in protecting victims of childhood abuse from indulging in criminal behaviour in adulthood, a study says.

The emotional and sexual abuse that some kids endure during their childhood can lead them to commit crimes later in life. But when they achieve good grades in childhood and complete their academics, the likelihood of indulging in criminal behaviour declines significantly.

Bad education can lead to children moving towards committing crimes. Pixabay.

“Child abuse is a risk factor for later antisocial behaviour,” said Todd Herrenkohl, Professor at the University of Michigan in the US.

“Education and academic achievement can lessen the risk of crime for all youth, including those who have been abused (encountered stress and adversity),” Herrenkohl added.

However, for some children who are weak in academic performance and get suspended in grades seven to nine, the offending habits and antisocial behaviour tends to stay with them even later in life, the researchers said.

The study, published in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence, noted that the primary prevention of child abuse is a critical first step to reduce antisocial behaviour at the transition from adolescence into adulthood. Researchers followed 356 people from childhood (ages 18 months to 6 years), school-age (8 years), adolescent (18 years) and adulthood (36 years).

Child abuse can make children criminals. VOA

Parent-child interactions measured various types of abuse and neglect, and responses also factored educational experiences and criminal behaviour against others or property. Parent reports and self-reports of the team showed criminal and antisocial behaviour among the childhood abuse victims.

“Strategies focused on helping school professionals become aware of the impacts of child abuse and neglect are critical to building supportive environments that promote resilience and lessen the risk for antisocial behaviour,” Herrenkohl said. IANS